Please
by Ryuchu
Summary: A one word cry for help that appears on cute, clover shaped stationary in his mailbox every morning, without fail.


**A/N:** I was saddened by the lack of stories featuring either Tina or Soseki, so I decided to write this. This was originally posted on my Tumblr, but I feel that these two need some love on the FF side of things, so I tweaked small parts and decided to post it here.

I can't be the only one who ships these two...right? Right.

* * *

_Please_

It was a one word note written in neat cursive on a cloyingly cute clover shaped piece of notebook paper. One would be tempted to write it off as an accidental misstep by the mail carrier - a slip of the hand causing a personal note to get mixed in with the pile of bills and other letters he never intended to read. In fact, the first time it happened, that's exactly what Soseki believed it to be.

However, after about a week of receiving the same note every day, he began to realize that this was less a 'mistake' and more an intentional pattern. It only took him a few more days to connect the dots and figure out who was sending the letters and just what they were asking for. He wanted to claim that it was thanks to his finely-honed skills as a journalist, but his certainty of the perpetrator arose largely from subtlety not being their strong-suit.

Or that's what one would say if they were trying to be polite. If they weren't, they would point to the bushes hemming Soseki's property and the painfully obvious person clad in bright orange who watched him retrieve his mail every morning.

It would have been infinitely easy to call her out, but he found it far more enjoyable to tease the girl - after all, while he had come to Echo Village to get away from everything for a little while, he couldn't help but welcome an interesting addition to his daily routine. Sometimes he would take the clover letter and examine it carefully for a minute or two, ensuring that his not-so-secret admirer could watch his every reaction; other times he would slip it into his pocket, giving the illusion that he intended to read it at a later time in private; still other times he would shove the clover letter to the bottom of the pile of mail and suddenly find his usually ignored mail inordinately interesting.

He could practically feel her stare burning holes into him and hear the bushes rattling with her uncontainable anticipation.

Yes, an interesting addition to the daily routine was always welcome, especially when it called for a little teasing in the process.

But then again, after about 2 months of the same pattern, the fun starts to wear thin.

So as he pulled himself blearily from his bed about three hours later than anyone else in the bucolic Echo Village and headed to his mailbox, he already knew that if there was the usual letter in the mailbox, today would be the day that he'd finally give in. Sure enough, right on top of all his letters was the single clover shaped notebook paper with the one word written on it. With a theatrical sigh he turned his eyes heavenward, not quite sure which deity he was asking for help from.

"Alright Tina, you win. You can come out of the bushes now."

There was a moment of silence before there was the tell-tale rustle of leaves and snapping of twigs interspersed with something that sounded vaguely like 'oh my goodness' mashed together a hundred times, running at lightning speed. It took all of two point five seconds for the girl to untangle herself from her hiding place and dash in front of him.

"Really?!" Tina asked excitedly, her green eyes shining with what could only be called child-like delight.

"I'm not really sure what tricks you're looking to learn from this old dog, but you've got persistence. That's something that should be commended."

"Don't talk about yourself like that," Tina responded instantly, her expression dampening slightly, "I remember reading your articles when I was a little kid - you're practically a living legend! I'm sure you have so many amazing insights about being a journalist and, and, working in the industry, and just everything!"

"Now now, I can't say that being buttered up is a bad thing, but it won't get you anything more out of me. I'm simply sharing a few tips in honor of your persistence. That's all you'll be getting."

"Don't worry," Tina responded, her face seemingly stuck once again in hopeful bliss, "That's what you say now, but I'm sure you'll change your mind; after all, I've got a lot of persistence that needs honoring! I'm sure this is most definitely the start of both a beautiful partnership and friendship."

With that deceleration made, she stuck out her hand, waiting for Soseki to take it into his own. For his part, Soseki studied her face for a moment - the earnest expression was one that he saw on many young reporters and that he himself had worn years ago. How many of those eager young hopefuls had gone on to actually be something and how many had simply become jaded like him? It was possible that he would never know the answer, but it was equally possible that he never truly wanted to know. A wry smile split his lips as he took the young girl's hand into his own, causing the girl's face to lite up even further as she enthusiastically shook his hand.

"Well then," Soseki said after Tina finally released him, "The first lesson is the importance of subtly when conducting an investigation. My first bit of advice would be that if you're going to hide in the bushes every day, make sure you're not wearing bright orange."


End file.
